The Spell Stone
by Warmill
Summary: If things weren't weird enough for Emma Swan after she had arrived in Storybrooke, Maine, the sudden appearance of a mysterious stranger, bearing an unsual gift, only added to the uncertainty of her decision to stay.


It was foggy night in Storybrooke, Maine. Just outside of town, near the forest line, a mist had formed a wall. Anyone, who dared take a very late evening stroll into the forest, would soon be repelled by the utter thickness of the surrounding air.

Suddenly, at a point in the center of this mist, the air began to swirl into a vortex. Spinning faster and faster, until it split open and out walked a figure!

And just as suddenly as it appeared, the vortex folded into itself and vanished, once again leaving a thick wall of mist.

The figure was that of a tall man. His dark trench coat flowed out behind him in a sudden gentle breeze. His hair was dark and long. He wore a black fedora hat.

He immediately glanced around to see if anyone had happened to witness his arrival. Satisfied, he moved on into town. He needed to find someone and find them fast!

Meanwhile, Emma Swan suddenly awoke. She didn't know why. She didn't remember hearing any loud noise or having any strange dream, she just awoke. But there was this nagging feeling that someone or something strange was coming. And although she had just arrived in Storybrooke, "strange" seemed to be the keyword for this town.

Emma decided to step outside. Although, in the distance she could see the courthouse clock still stuck at 8:15, it was really much later in the night and she wanted to be careful as to not awaken her son, Henry, who was hiding out in Emma's boarding house room from his adoptive mother. A mother Henry had called evil and after meeting her, Emma could honestly say she couldn't disagree.

Henry spoke of fantastic tales of conspiracy and deception that he felt Emma would be the key to expose and solve!

Emma suspected this was all just the overactive imagination of a ten year old kid, but her son had felt so strongly about his convictions, he had actually located Emma, ten years after she had given him up for adoption. Henry constantly carried around a copy of a book entitled, "Once Upon a Time". To most, including Emma, all it was, was a fairy tale book.

To Henry, however, it was more than that. It was a map. A key to a mystery that this small town of Storybrooke fronted. A mystery that had to be solved. For to not solve this mystery, to not even try to solve this mystery, would not only threaten the existence of this world but another world as well. A world of magic and charm.

Emma enjoyed the peace and quiet the night had brought. It would have been a perfect night, if not for the mist. But even that had its own charm.

Suddenly, she heard a noise. A slight rustling of the brush. Then movement! A shadow! Emma started to quickly head back in when someone grabbed her arm. She instinctively started to let out a scream but she couldn't utter a sound! She quickly turned around to see who had accosted her.

He stood directly in front of her as he stared at her with deep intense dark eyes. His long dark hair flowed down from under a hat. He held his hand up in front of her mouth. She noticed a ruby like glow in the center of his palm.

"Emma Swan! You cannot scream!" he softly said, "the stone has seen to that! I can make the spell last for only a few more seconds or forever. Its up to you. I am not here to harm you. If you promise me you will not try to scream anymore, I will cast off the spell. Okay?"

Emma, with the look of fear on her face, nodded affirmatively.

The man closed his hand into a fist, blocking out the ruby glow.

"Who… are…you?" Emma managed to say, "what… do you want?"

The man smiled a crooked but friendly smile.

"My name is Gihlad," he replied, "I am from not around here."

"Not from Storybrooke?" Emma asked.

"Not from this world!" Gihlad answered.

Emma just stared.

"I am, as you would say a courier," he said.

"Courier?" Emma replied, puzzled, "what kind of courier?"

"A very special kind!" Gihlad answered, "I came from another reality to deliver to you a special item."

"What kind of item?" Emma asked.

"An item of magic," Gihlad replied still smiling.

Just then the headlights of a car swept across the lawn.

Emma looked to see the Sheriff's car driving by.

"Its Sheriff Graham," Emma said, "if you don't get to the point, I'll get the attention of the Sheriff one way or another, whether you take my voice away or not!"

Gihlad nodded. Emma and him both stepped back into the shadow of the boarding house, so as not to be seen by the Sheriff driving by on patrol. Eventually the car disappeared, as it turned the corner further down the street.

"Okay," Emma now impatiently stated, "what is this item?"

Gihlad reached into his pocket and pulled out a small object and handed it to her. She took it and examined it.

The object was another stone. This one was slightly larger than the one Gihlad had used to temporarily silence her and it was emerald green.

"What is it?" she asked.

"It is something you don't use lightly," Gihlad replied, "but something you will have to use one day. It is called The Spell Stone! With it, you can cast any spell on anyone or anything you wish. But as I said, do not take lightly its powers!"

"But how will I know how or when to use it?" Emma asked, beginning to think she was still dreaming.

"The Stone will work when you ask it to," Gihlad answered, "as for when to use it. Only you can know that answer!"

With that Gihlad turned to leave.

"Wait!" Emma called after, "where are you going?"

"I have to go back," Gihlad called back, "to my reality!"

"And where in the hell is that supposed to be?" Emma frustratingly asked, "another place, I suppose, I've never heard of before. Like this place!"

Gihlad laughed, "Oh, I think you've heard of where I'm from. It was once a magical place that needs your help in bringing back that magic. I'm from the Enchanted Forest!"

With that pronouncement, Gihlad disappeared into the mist.

Emma stood transfixed and confused. She looked at the emerald green stone, The Spell Stone, that glowed in her palm. She again kept thinking she'd awaken. She tried hard to make herself wake up! But to no avail.

So she did the only thing she could do for now and placed the stone, for safekeeping, in the locket she wore around her neck. She didn't know what her next step would be in this weird town of Storybrooke, Maine, but she figured in time she would!


End file.
